The Vinnie Rossi L2i is a hybrid amplifier with a direct-heated 300B tube preamp section and a FET power amp section. In many ways, this integrated amplifier is the result of a combination of the company’s L2 Signature Preamplifier and L2 Signature Monoblocks into one chassis. At a still to be determined price point between 12K and 14K in euros, it is considerably less expensive than the CH pairing but double the Ayon’s price sticker.
The Vinnie Rossi L2i (above) is a very special amplifier, but, alas, it does not work synergistically with the SONs. Likewise, the Classe Delta stereo (below) is an impressive amp with the Magicos but it is not ideal for the SONs.
Contrary to expectations, perhaps, the L2i, still fed from the CH C1 DAC, evoked a remarkably impactful and dynamic sound from the SONs. With 300B’s in the input section, one might expect a liquid and lush sound, but instead, it sounded more like a very potent transistor amplifier. But besides sounding remarkably powerful and dynamic, there was a marked step back in resolution and treble openness. Further, it occurred to me that rather than hearing the best of tubes and transistors, it felt that the tubes were hindering the transistors in their low bass control while the transistors, in turn, were preventing the tubes from sounding fully liquid.
The CH A1.5 has a uniquely refined sound, not only for a transistor amplifier but in general. In addition, it is extremely linear and ultra-transparent. Not many other amplifiers (tube or solid-state) sound quite as lithe and fluid and yet so articulate and well-controlled. Given the Swiss beast’s elevated price tag it’s no shame to find that the Vinnie Rossi was less ultra-finely resolved but it’s interesting to note that I only heard this now, and not at all when I listened to the amp using the Xavian Perla Esclusiva speakers in the other room where I compared it with the Ayon amplifier. Quite the contrary, actually. But that’s for another review.
It was at this point, that I truly grasped the extent of the SONs’ exemplary revealing nature.
Since I did not really hear any benefits of the 300B section, or, at least not in the way that you would expect, without bloom or warmth, the focus was moved to transistors’ typical strengths, and this is when I noticed that the sound was also a little uneven. Somehow, the balance between bass, midrange and treble seemed off. Additionally, the treble seemed to be missing the last bit of air while the lowest bass lacked the ultimate tightness and precision that one expects from a transistor amplifier. But what I couldn’t quite get my finger behind was that, somehow, the sound just didn’t fully gel. The rendition was perceived in parts rather than as a coherent whole. And, again, none of this was heard this way in the other setup, where the Vinnie had sounded tight, upbeat and utterly coherent.
Above photo is of the Ayon Spirit III in a earlier setup as I apparently forgot to take a picture of it when driving the SONs.
Thus, I connected the Ayon Spirit III integrated amplifier. Fully expecting it to be just as rounded at the frequency extremes as the Vinnie, potentially more so because, unlike the L2i, it contains output transformers, the Ayon took me by surprise by immediately turning in a massively musical performance. It took only seconds to realize that, indeed, the Ayon presentation did gel and all the musical elements worked together synergistically to produce energetic, powerful, robust, palpable, free-flowing, liquid, well-textured and pleasingly harmonically-rich music.
In my book, Ayon products in general and amplifiers in particular, produce superb bass. In the other setup with the Perlas, the Spirit III has actually outperformed several transistor amplifiers in terms of bass performance and the same seemed to happen this time around. While the Ayon could, understandably, not match the CH’s agility and articulation, its bass was remarkably robust and retained an even level of articulation and control all the way to the very lowest frequencies. In that respect, the Ayon was more linear than the Vinnie, which was actually mostly a transistor design. Go figure! Of course, in the wonderful world of audio, everything revolves around finding the ideal match and, evidently, the Vinnie was not ideal for the SONs.
The NuPrime AMG-STA hybrid Class-A/Class-D power amplifier also had its turn and sounded remarkably fluid and refined and decidedly non-“digital”. Not a true substitute for a nice tube amp nor a CH beater but it comes closer than it should have any right to given its price class.
Apparently, besides being remarkably revealing, the SONs also lay bare the undercurrent of what actually constitutes music, which is more than just the individual parts of which it consists. It’s the art of weaving it all together into a communicative and emotionally appealing whole, to the point where the message of the music comes across in a way that makes one forget all about the technicalities involved.
By the way, the Ayon did not reveal any more airiness in the treble than the Vinnie, rather, it had a slightly darker presentation and in terms of resolution, the Vinnie also easily topped it, but none of this mattered because, all said and done, what the Ayon produced with the SONs was pure music. As I’ve said so many times, system synergy is everything.
Analog
At Ron’s place, I had already heard both digital and analog replay, the latter courtesy of his Platine Verdier turntable and, at that time, both formats sounded absolutely great. Now that I had fully formed my opinion of the SONs in my own system, I figured it was time to invite audio buddy JW again, this time to indulge in a session of analog seduction, courtesy of the Origin Live Calypso mk4 turntable. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Remember when I mentioned the first moment that I fully grasped the extent of the SONs’ exemplary revealing nature? Well, this moment marked the consolidation of this.
The ViRa Aidas Rainbow cartridge was never the airiest or brightest-sounding cartridge, but because of its many other talents, that aspect had never bothered me, until now. With the SONs still connected to the Ayon amplifier, the turntable sounded robust and powerful as always, but this time, we noticed straight away that there was something wrong with the sound. Not only was the treble dark but it now also seemed to have a glaring lack of resolution, resulting in an overt dryness. JW and I looked at each other in disbelief. How was this possible? Even the simplest and cheapest turntables that we heard have always been fluid and the Origin Live, in particular should be superbly fluid. Furthermore, the cartridge’s fine line stylus was actually found to be particularly capable in terms of unveiling subtle details. So, clearly something must have been wrong. But what?
No amount of cable swapping or component changing would cure the issue and so, disgruntled and all out of ideas, we called it a night.
The next day, while checking the cartridge clips I suddenly noticed that the arm’s VTA was slightly off. Instantly, I knew what had caused this. It was a tweak that I used, involving loosening the VTA ring after fixing the hex screw, in order to get precisely the desired sound from the turntable. Unfortunately, this fixation was not secure enough to withstand the repeated manual pressure via the armlift over time. Apparently, this had resulted in a slow and – previously – unnoticed continuous lowering of the arm that in turn slowly dispositioned the cartridge further and further away from its ideal alignment.
After re-tightening the VTA ring, all that it took was one more turn to brighten up the sound and get the fluidity and air back in there, along with a smile on my face. Clearly, the SONs are so utterly revealing that the turntable just did not sound right until it was calibrated just so. Worryingly, in my usual setup with the Logans, I had indeed also felt that the turntable sounded a little darker lately but because it sounded otherwise just fine and not dry at all, I had not given it a second thought. Apparently, the Logans have a tendency to sweeten/fluidify the treble whereas the SONs simply present the truth.
Such is the extent of these speakers’ amazing resolution that they will reveal the quality of other equipment to a higher degree than I have been able to with any other speakers and that includes not only the Logans but to some extent, the Magicos as well.
I took the lesson to heart and used the situation to super-fine-tune the VTA as well as the Azimuth. Never before has that been easier to do by ear than with these speakers. Needless to say, once the settings were as they should be, the turntable sounded fabulous and I enjoyed record after record, jumping around and singing along, in broad daylight no less!
Conclusion
Hearing the Wolf von Lange SONs for the first time at Ron’s place immediately primed me for something special. But it wasn’t until I had used them in my own system that I truly and deeply understood the extent of their superlative performance.
When set up ideally, they reward with superlative speed, immediacy and resolution, all combined in an utterly cohesive whole. Especially remarkable given their modest size is that they offer superb bass performance, both in terms of depth and precision and if you want to blow the roof off, the SONs will simply oblige. More important than range and precision is the immediacy and expression that the Field Coil design delivers. Furthermore, this AMT unit may be the very best tweeter that I have heard. There really is something inherently better about this principle over regular flat ribbons.
There is superb imaging and very wide and deep soundstaging and very little coloration. What coloration there is consists of a paper-like quality in the lower midrange. Call it a moderate amount of character. But that’s no sin. Precious few speakers truly are totally neutral and those that approach this ideal tend to lack expression and more often than not, musicality.
The SONs provide a unique combination of very pure and direct honesty with unrestricted musical flow. I hasten to add that the SONs do not inject the music with extra liquidity or creaminess. If the recording is dry as bones, that’s what the SONs will relay. But they will always do so in a manner that makes musical sense.
External Links
Distributor and dealer for the Netherlands: Callas Audio
Also available at A10 Audio in Amsterdam
Dealer for Belgium: Alpha High End
Manufacturer’s website: WolfvonLanga
Manufacturer’s alternate site: state-of-the-art.design
www.callas-audio.nl
Lelystad 8241AK
info@callas-audio.nl
CHRISTINE VON LANGA
ROEDLAS 54
91077 NEUNKIRCHEN
GERMANY
Hello from Bonn in Germany,
many thanks for this formidable review. As I read some very important comparison points to the Magico, etc., and wondered which would be the SONs main strengths against the Aequo Audio Stillas. I am considering both as my next speaker, my main priorities are low-level details, transparency and soundstage.
Many thanks in advance,
Merry Christmas,
Adrian
Hi Adrian, While I’ve not had the SONs and the Stillas available at the same time I can safely say that they are very different. In terms of low-level details, the SONs are the very best that I have ever heard, period. In terms of transparency, the Magicos and Sons are more or less in the same ballpark while the Stillas lag behind a bit. The Magicos do sound more linear than the SONS and Stillas but the SONs are more direct and more revealing. In terms of soundstage focus, depth and layering, the Stillas and SONs are largely comparable and both are better than the Magicos. The biggest differences, however, are in terms of character and overall presentation, as described in detail in the respective reviews.
Hi Chistiaan,
I really enjoyed reading your review and the more I read the more frustration came over me! It’s been a while since these SOUNDS have been eyeing me, these speakers look a lot like my ideal in terms of rendering and personality, that is to say, no makeup or other glitter to try to seduce at all costs, it is pure music, direct, alive, organic, present …! I can’t even imagine what the Chicago loudspeakers from the same manufacturer must look like! Regarding the choice of amplifier, I thought of the Greek tube amp manufacturer, as an integrated amp, the Aeolos Ultima model (KT150 tubes) or as a separate amplifier / preamplifier! there is also the Italian manufacturer Grandinote and its integrated amplifier Shinaï (Class A) with which the SON speakers should give their best! Also consider the cables from the manufacturer of the country of the maple leaf LunaCables (Orange, Red or Black), you should test them! Thank you for your review and happy new year to you !
Hi Christiaan,
Thanks for another interesting review. I was hoping you’d keep the Son speakers in your review set up.
I have a pair of them in a system in another house and previously ran a pair of S1 MkII here in my main system – Albeit both systems have way more modest front end and amplification than your reference gear – the Sons are nonetheless beguiling.
I think it’s your comparisons and analysis with a range of ancillaries that helps readers understand what equipment is capable of with synergy – can’t do that at home.
BTW I changed the main system speakers to A5 a while ago and have been impressed that the multiple drivers haven’t lost too much coherence from the s1’s, while achieving more balance through the full range.
Richard
Hi Richard, thank you for your kind words! Indeed, the SONS are absolutely beguiling. What they did do was move me to sell the Logans. The plan was to get Magico S3mk2’s but, alas, while they obviously have better bass and are slightly more highly resolving, they performed less well than the S1’s in several areas (spaciousness, flow, treble openness and air) and so I am currently only using the S1mk2’s in the main room. If I had more rooms as well as more budget, then I’d likely want to have a pair of SONs as well, especially now that I am reviewing Melody tube amplifiers and having concluded (using the modest Xavian Perla Esclusivas in the other room) that the Everest 211 SET amp is definitely something special. If it works (with uncomplicated and sensitive speakers), SET can be magic and given what the SONs do, the combination could be heaven. Oh, I also noticed that if Magico speakers have one overall quality, it is coherence, indeed, no matter how many drivers they use. However, I do find that the more recent models (most Mk2 S-series models, the A3, and many models in the M2 range) sound quite full and dark. That said, he A5’s actually offer good value for money which is something of an oxymoron for the brand:-)
Hello Christaan,
I am quite tempted by the WvL SON speakers, and in part because of your thorough and excellent review. But given that you found them to be a bit “finicky” about the amplifiers used to power them, I wonder if you might be able to provide any insights into any likely synergy – or lack thereof – with the Circle Labs A200 hybrid integrated amp? I own an A200, and am quite happy with it. However, as it is capable of generating more power than the amplifiers that are typically reported to match well with the SON, and also has a fairly high damping factor and capacitance, I have some concerns.
Any insights that you could provide would be much appreciated.
Best regards for the new year!
Tony
Hi Tony, high power and high power supply capacitance in and of themselves are no problem and can actually be beneficial. The main factor in my opinion for a speaker like the SON is that there shouldn’t be too much control (in essence, damping factor) from an amplifier, for the speaker to sound most free-flowing and emotionally engaging. That said, my CH A1.5 exerts quite a bit more control than the average amplifier, even when set toward 20% local feedback. After all, the amplifier always uses the same amount of feedback but allows the user to adjust the location from 100% global to 100% local. In conclusion, while I think that the SONS will sound most magical when used with powerful tube amplifiers, the majority of transistor amplifiers should also work well, provided they are not too rigid in their delivery.
Hello Tony,
I have the SONs as my main speaker pair. Somehow in contrast with Christiaan systems footprint/paradigm, which obviously allows him to review a large spectrum of components, I purchased them as a „high efficiency“ dynamic speaker to allow me to use the more powerful SETs ( for example Coincident Frankenstein or similar), It was disclosed in an audio magazine here in Germany that Wolf von Langa uses SET from Sun Audio in his system and it is well documented that he used on München shows Meyer or ATM SET amplifiers (all low powered). Ron Ploeger from whom I purchased the speakers recommends however somehow larger amplifiers ( more like 20-30Watt, tube based) having a higher damping factor! I am running them currently with a YBA 50Watt solid state amplifier with excellent results but I am planing to try a hybrid or OTL low power amplifier around 20-30 Watt like the ones from Thöress (Model EHT) or a Berning based design OTL (Linear tube Audio). So for the first iteration an amplifier with no output transformer.
Hope this helps as a hint,
All the best,
Adrian
Thank you, Adrian. I appreciate your input.
An interesting, associated set of questions would also revolve around the WvL STAGE, which has a passive driver. I would guess that it would benefit more from higher powered amps than the SON.
I would like very much to compare the sound of the two models, but travel restrictions are making that difficult at the moment.
All the best,
Tony
Thanks for the feedback, Adrian!
Thank you, Christian. I appreciate your further insights.
Cheers,
Tony
Hi Tony,
I recently upgraded the power supply to the new FCCS PSU for my early edition Son speakers, with an outstanding result. Power clearly makes a big difference for the field coil driver.
I purchased them for a second system that didn’t happen, but they muscled their way into my home system on almost full time duties. It’s driven by a Vitus RI-101 and the results have been impressive compared to my other speakers costing approximately double, though these still have a role.
I’ve also heard Sons in-store driven by Constellation amps to great effect. I wouldn’t necessarily hold back because of the suitability of your existing amp – they are very revealing and may inspire you to upgrade at source end first. Worth a demo with similar equipment if you can. That’s what I’ll do.
Richard
Thanks for chiming in, Richard!
Hi Richard,
Thank you for your contribution to the topic. Your experience is encouraging, and particularly with regard to the Vitus.
All the best for the new year,
Tony
Hi Richard,
I am curious about your experiences with the placement of the SONs, and particularly in relation to the back wall. It appears that a high percentage of users’ images, including Christian’s, show the speakers well away from the back walls. But, oddly enough, Christine von Langa suggested to me that when used along a long wall, as would be the case in my room, the SONs should work well at only “about 30-40cm” out.
I do have a concern that my space, while not exactly small (~29 sqm), could be a bit compressed for use with the SONs. If, for example, I were to bring them one meter out from the back walls, they would be two meters from my listening position, though there would be another meter of space behind me (an open staircase).
If you (or Christian) happen to have any related thoughts, I’d appreciate hearing them.
Cheers,
Tony
Hi Tony, 30-40cm may well work in some rooms but it depends entirely on the room and its oddities. I really can’t make any hard recommendations for your situation. I think that most of the time, the speakers work better when given more space but depending on the circumstances, that space could also be behind the listening position. Sometimes, that works better than the other way around. Bottom line: I’m afraid you just have to try it. Your space of 29 square meters should at least be large enough.
Thank you, Christian. I fully appreciate that there will be vagaries until the speakers are actually auditioned within my specific context, but unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of doing that prior to a purchase.
What you say about the space behind the listening position is interesting, and adds a bit of optimism on my end.
A final question, if you don’t mind: what are your experiences with feet on the SONs? Have you experimented with and without, etc.?
Thank you,
Tony
I have tried the SONs with and without feet and I think I have also written a section about this in the review. In any case, the speakers sound most free-flowing when you use somewhat compliant feet, especially when using an amplifier with a high damping factor or a very controlled sound. However, as always, the bass is tightest with hard couplers. Ron of Callas initially swore by using the speakers directly on the floor but he is now using purpose-made bamboo stands. The bottom line is that there is no prescribed best method. All I can say is that the speakers respond in a familiar and predictable fashion to footers or the lack thereof.
Thank you!
Hi ,
These Sons speakers are at the top of my very short list of speakers with the Grandinote speakers and at the top, the AtlantisLab AT31 speakers (€ 9,990) which I strongly suggest to seek to listen to them urgently! AT31s are UFOs, whatever the style of music! They also have phenomenal power handling! It’s exhilarating! A good hearer !
Good Year !
Hi Tony,
I’m really a novice at positioning but this may help – the first room in which I had the Sons was quite long and narrow, with the speakers against a long brick wall with no side-wall interaction, but necessarily placed quite close to the front wall. They seemed to excel in what I thought were limiting circumstances, but this is consistent with Wolf’s brief comments on placement via email, which sounds like it was in line with the advice given to you by Christine (they’re both very helpful).
I think the passive rear radiator helps for close wall placement (compared to a rear firing port!) but the AMT tweeter likes a bit of space to the sides. I preferred the tweeters to the outside even with the speakers well-spaced.
Currently they have side wall interaction with a kind of “bulkhead” on one side and floor to ceiling window/french doors on the other. There is ~90cm each side of the speakers with 2m spacing. The sidewall interaction is offset with some basic absorption but it can be improved. Next project.
In summary, they seem to handle the combination of close to front wall with no side-wall interaction very well and have no trouble with relatively near-field listening position. Introducing side-wall obstacles is more complex but no game-changer. I think there’s an owner’s manual about, perhaps worth inquiring.
Hope this helps your line of inquiry, Richard
Hi Richard,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences – it was quite helpful.
In my case, the room that they would be used in is odd in some respects, but there will be plenty of room from side to side, as well as overhead. Your experiences bolster my confidence that they would be versatile enough to perform well given the relatively compressed front and back spaces.
I understand very well that, like any set of speakers, they are unlikely to reach their full potential in an imperfect space. But that is of little concern to me, as long as they aren’t stifled to any significant degree.
The temptation is strong now, even with the understanding that there are likely to be further temptations to upgrade some of the downstream components!
Cheers,
Tony
Hello Christiaan,
thank you for this detailed review and your work on this wonderful website.
I have WvL SON on my short list together with Pure Audio Project Trio 15 Voxativ.
I understand these are two different concepts – did you ever had a chance to hear these (or similar) open baffle speakers? How would you compare their character to WvL SON?
Currently it is so difficult to travel and listen to different brands of speakers… so these discussions with reviewers are only guidelines for prospective buyers…
Thanks for your answer
All the best
Michal
Hi Michal,
As fortune would have it I have indeed heard the Pure Audio Project speakers. It was on a demo during an audio show meaning no controlled environment nor any direct comparisons, but still, I think I can say a few things about this in comparison to the WvL SONs.
While the SONs are open baffle as far as the treble and midrange are concerned, the bass cabinet’s passive radiator on the rear makes the speaker fall in between the two camps. This is also where a large difference lies. The Pure Audio speakers have no sidewalls and thus have to cope with a lot of cancellation between rear and front and they do this using large woofers. While they do provide deep and powerful bass, my personal feeling is that this is more of the Apogee planar magnetostatic kind than being akin to a dynamic speaker in a cabinet. The SONS also have very deep bass but it’s more of the punchy and articulate kind as you would expect from a dynamic driver in an enclosure. When playing loudly, the SONs seem to breeze through while asking for more. When playing loudly with the Pure Audio Project speakers I feel that the bass units have to work very hard to keep up with the midrange.
Finally, the midrange and treble are very different in character tonality. The SONs’ ribbon is supremely airy and refined and I find it even better than the Magico tweeters in these respects but it’s in the lower midrange where the Voxativ’s properties may divide opinion. For me, they are too colored-sounding (the familiar cupped-hands effect) but I also can’t deny that they provide a very tangible and realistic property to acoustic instruments, perhaps more so than the SONs that are slightly mellow in that area. So, it’s not an easy one-or-the-other between these two speakers. You have to know what it is you are after and decide accordingly.
Thank you Christiaan, apreciate your response!
It seems that I know my direction now.
Btw. I had similar feeling from bass units on another open baffle speakers (Spatial) that I heard recently.
M
Hallo Christian. Just got my son.s in the house and machted them with the New nat gm 70 amp. Wonderfull combination. Now i am testen some footers